Apparatus for banding articles



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 18. 1956 INVENTOR flamas 5.50am? Mai-ch 10,1959 I T. s. BAUMAN APPARATUS FOR BANDING ARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed June 18. 19556 March 10, 1959 T. s. BAUMAN APPARATUS FOR SANDINGARTICLES 4 Sheets-Sheei 3 Filed June 18. 1956 INVENTOR 38 77100135 8.6811mm v mfiner 3 March 10, 1959 T. s. BAUMAN 3 APPARATUS FOR BANDINGARTICLES Filed June 18. 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 7' mvcuroR 7/7ons -baauanUnited States atent O i APPARATUS Fon BANDING ARTICLFLs Thomas S.Bauman, Hialeah, F la., assignor to Dominion This invention relates toimprovements in the methtid of applying bands of ceramic paint to glass,pottery or similar articles and more particularly to improvements inmultiple head ceramic banding machines whereby banding in variouscolours and width of bands can be accomplished in a single operationwithout removing the article from the machine.

The invention consists essentially in the provision of a multiple headrotating machine in which the width and spacing of the applied ceramicbands on the work piece are controlled by means of coordinated drives,cams and valves whereby the work and the ceramic applicator are broughtinto contact in a pre-arranged manner so that bands of various colour,width of spacing between bands, and width of bands can be applied fromthe coordination of one head with the work piece or the coordination ofvarious heads with the work-piece, all in timed relation so that aminimum of ceramic paint will be applied at an even depth to the work ata speed which will ensure even application without throw-off or drippingof the ceramic paint as the work piece progresses, through the cycle ofthe machine.

The invention hereinafter described has the advantage over othermachines for the same class of-work in that it permits the applicationof multi-colour banding without the removal of the tumblers from chuckto chuck during the operation, in other words, the tumbler remains onthe chuck as it is originally applied and all colours are put on thetumbler before it is taken off the chuck.

The object of the invention is therefore to provide a machine in whichbands or designs may be quickly applied in one or more colours by aplurality of successive applications of the decorating material withoutremoving the work piece or article being decorated, from the machinebefore the cycle of operation is complete.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for intermittenlyrotating the work holding carriage in timed relation to the raising andlowering of the ceramic paint applying mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for reciprocatingthe ceramic paint applying mechanism in timed relation to the setting ofthe work holding carriage to effect the application of bands ofceramicpaint of various widths.

A further object of the invention is to provide suction means controlledby the rotation of the machine whereby the work is held securely to thehead during a predetermined cycle of operation.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved suctionchuck whereby the work is held rigid on its work head during thecomplete cycle of operation.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following detailedspecification and the drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. lis a vertical sectional view of the banding machine showing the drivesto the various operating mechanisms.

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 2-2 2,876,733 PatentedMar. 10, 1959 of Fig. 1 and showing the input drive to the machine andalso showing three output drives leading to the applicator' raising andlowering mechanism and also showing a mounting bracket fitted to theside of the machine.

' Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1showing the vacuum control valve raising earn and the work piece headraising or tilting cam.

Fig. 4 is-a sectional plan view taken on theline 4fl of Fig. 1 showingthe vacuum chamber head plate with one of the work piece heads mountedon its supporting brackets and showing the pipe connections from thework head to'the common vacuum chamber.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showingthe Geneva drive controlling the interrhittentrotation of the vacuumchamber head plate shown in Fig.-4with the Geneva wheel in one of theStationary positions.

Fig. 6is a sectional plan view similar to Fig. 5' but showing the Genevawheel' partly rotated between one station'- ary position and another;and showing the Geneva crank in section to show the crank block inengagement with the wheel.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged front elevation of one of the applicator raisingand lowering heads.

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view taken on the line 8 of Fig. 7 showingthe springs connected to the recipro cating bracket of the raising andlowering head to hold the bracket against the cam transmitting motion tothe bracket. Y

Fig. 9 is a face view of the applicator reciprocating cam.

Fig. 10 is a side view of the cam shown in Fig. 9.

' Fig/11 is a partial plan view of the top of the applicator headshowing" a pair of ceramic paint applicators.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of one of the workhead suctioncontrol valves.

Fig. 13 is an enlarged sectional detail of one of the vacuum chucksshown in the free position without a wor piece and with the suction lineblocked off.

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary detail section of the cams shown inFig. 3. I

Fig. 15 is a sectional detail of the adjustable stop for the work-head.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged view of the work-piece mounted on its chuck andthe paint applicator in contact with it and also showing in dotted linesthe position of the applicator at the other end of its reciprocatedtravel to apply the width of band shown in the work piece.

Fig. 17 shows a curved surface work piece having two widths of bandingapplied'at spaced intervals. I

Fig. 18 shows another form of work piece havingan extra wide band aswould be applied at two stages on the machine.

Figure 19 is a partial view taken from Figure 1 showing the cam meansholding one working head out-of engagement with the friction disc.

' Referring to the drawings, the machine is built on and around acentral box casting 1 which in turn is mounted on a base 2 suitablysupported by legs or other means not shown. e H

The machine is composed of four main parts, all operated from a commoninput drive shaft 3 which can be connected to any suitable source ofpower. These main parts are the work-piece heads A, the applicator headsB the common suction head C and the Geneva drive D.

In the assembly of the machine illustrated and described theinterconnection of the various parts are one form onlyin which theultimate function of the machine can be achieved. Different forms ofdrives between the various parts 'could'be utilized to achieve the sameresults, also the number of operative heads on the machine describedcould be increased or decreased and still be within the scope of theinvention.

From the input drive shaft 3, which is connected to any suitable sourceof power, one drive branch is directed to the worm 4 and worm wheel 5contained in the worm gear casing 6. The shaft 7, to which the wormgear-5 is keyed, passes down through the base 2 and carries on its lowerend the drive sprockets. From the drive sprocket 8, the drive is carriedthrough the chain or belt 9 to the sprocket 10 mounted onthe lower end.ofithe shaft 11 to rotate the friction drive plate 12which is mounted onthe upper end of the shaft 11 and which can be adjusted up or downthereon by means of the nuts 13. -The Geneva drive originates with theshaft 7 and is contained within the base 2. The-Geneva crank 14 is keyedto the shaft 7 and engages with the Geneva wheel '15 to drive the wheelin intermittent steps corresponding in number to the number ofwork-piece heads A on the e is provided with the ports 45-46.

machine. The Geneva crank 14 is formed of upper and lower arms 16supporting between them the arcuate; face 17 which is concentric withthe shaft 7, andalsogthe pin 18at the opposite end of the arms. Thecrankblock-J9 is rotatably mounted on the pin 1 8 between the crank arms 16.The Geneva wheel 15 is keyed to the; sleeve shaft 20 and has a series ofarcuate-faces 21 on its outer periphery. These arcuate faces 21; areconcentric .with the arcuate face 17 of the crank 14 when the wheel isrotated by the crank into theposition shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings.Slots 22 radiate inwards from the periphery of the Geneva wheel 15 andare spaced equidistant between the centres of the arcuate faces 21. Thecrank block 19, on rotation of the crank 14 engages with one of theslots 22 to rotate the wheel 15 for a portion of a revolution equal tothe angle between the slots and between the arcuate faces 21 on thewheel. In this particular case the number of slots 22 is eightwhich isequal "to the number of work-piece heads A; The length of the arcuateface 17 of the crank 14 is such that it just clears the outer peripherypf; the wheel ,15 as the wheel is rotated between the arms of-the crankwhen the block 19' is in engagement with one of the slots 22. The numberof work-piece heads A and corresponding slots 22 in the Geneva wheel 15can be varied to suit the overall size of the machine and the size andtype of articles to be handed on it.

Mounted on the upper end of the sleeve. shaft 20 is thecommon suctionhead C formed of the ring casting 23 and which with the cover plate 24of the box casting 1 form a sealed chamber 25. As the cover plate 24 isstationary while the ring casting 23 rotates with the sleeve shaft 20,eifective sealing between these two items is by means of the packingrings 26 set in annular recesses in the flange 27 of the ring casting 23and in the top face 28 of the cover plate 24.

The cover .plate 24 carries the arcuate earns 29 and 30 on its upperface, the outer cam 29 controlling the engagement and disengagement ofthe workpiece head A withthe drive plate 12, while the inner. cam 30controls the operation of the valves in the vacuum lines from the commonsuction head C to the work-piece heads A. v 1 The earns 29 and 30 areset in arcuate channels 31 and 32 on the surface of the cover' plate 24and are held-in their adjusted annular position by means of 'the setscrewsp33.

The common suction head chamber is connected with a source of vacuum bymeans of the pipe connection 34 secured through the cover plate 24.

The ring casting 23 has an extended flange 35 in which are mounted thevacuum controlling valves and the plungers controlling the engagementofthe work-piece heads A with the drive plate 12. These valves are equalin number to the number of work-piece heads on the machine and consistof a series of cylinders 36, formed inthe side of the suction headchamber'25. Each cylinder 36 is provided with a sleeye' ,valye 371 havng an extension rod 38 projecting down through the bottom of thecylinder 36, the rod having a rounded end adapted to make smooth contactwith the top surface of the inner cam 30. The cylinders 36 are providedwith a cap 36 held down by the screws 40 and is provided with a screwedoutlet 41 communicating with the interior of the cylinder 36 through thebore 42. The sleeve valve 37 is hollow to receive the compression spring142 which is also seated in the cap 39. The cylinder 36 is provided witha port 43 communicating with the interior of the suction chamber25 andhas an exhaust port 44 open to the atmosphere. The sleeve valve 37 Thespring 142 normally hold the sleeve valve 37 in the down position sothat the ports 43 and 45 communicate with each other leaving the vacuumline open to the work-piece head A. However, when the valve 37 is liftedup by contact of the rod 38 with the cam 30, the port 43 is blocked offand the port 46 is brought into line with the exhaust port 44. In thisposition of the valve37 the vacuum line to the work-piece head A is opento the atmosphere. 1

The work-piece heads A, eight in number, each consist of a cylinder 47pivoted at 48 between the brackets 49 which, in turn, are secured to thetop of the extension flange 35 of the ring casting 23. The brackets 49hold thework-head piece assemblies A on an axis passing through the axisof the shaft 11 and the axis of the valves 37. Journalled in thecylinders 47 are the shafts 50, the inner end of which carry the contactroller 51 which frictionally'engages with the under side of the driveplate 12 to effect rotation of the shaft 50. The outer end of the shaft50 extending from the cylinder 47 is reduced in diameter to provide aseat 52 against which the disc 53 is seated. The outer end of the shaft50 is'counterbored at 54 into which the extension or valve shaft 55 isfittedand permanently secured. The shafts 50 and 55 have a communicatingaxial bore 56 extending from the transverse bore 57 of the shaft andlocated within the cylinder 47 to the transverse bore 58 at the outerend of the shaft immediately adjacent to the end disc59. A valve sleeve60 is slidably mounted on the valve shaft 55 and has secured to it thefriction chuck disc 61. A similar sleeve 62 and friction chuck disc 63is also slid: ably mounted on the shaft 55 and are separated by thecompression spring 64. Both friction chuck discs have their outerperipheries rounded for ease of engaging and disengaging'the work piece65.

Mounted on the outer face of the disc 53 is a sealing disc 66 ofrelatively soft material against which the rim of the work piece 65 ispressed against and held by suction. A compression spring 67 is locatedbetween the chuck disc 63 and the washer 68, the latter protecting thesealing disc 66 from damage. The springs 64 and 67 normally hold thevalve sleeve 60 against the end disc 59 to seal the transverse bore 58and block the suction line 56. t

The chuck discs 61 and 63 are of such a diameter that, when the workpiece 65 is pushed over them, theinternal surface of the work piece willfrictionally engage with them and force them inwards against thepressure of the springs 64 and 67'thereby clearing the transverse bore58. so that when the work piece rim contacts the sealing disc'66 the airis evacuated from the interior of the work piece and it is held firmlyin the chuck until such time as the vacuum line is closed by the actionof the valve 37; The spring 67 exerts very little back pressure on thechuck disc 63 so that leakage between the periphery of the disc 63 andthe internal surface of the work piece 65 ensures complete evacuation ofair from the work piece. I I d The vacuumlinebetween the cylinders 47and'the common suction chamber 25 is completed by the flexible arsfigivinis th y i er 41 t a s! e r l sss .39, at the screwed outlet 41,the flexible pipe allowing for the pivoting of the complete work-pieceheads A.

In order to engage and disengage the contact roller 51 from the drivewheel 12 plunger, rods 71 are mounted in the extension flange 35immediately below the outer end of each cylinder 47. These plunger rods71 are provided with rollers 72 which make contact with the top surfaceof the cam 29 as the ring casting 23 is rotated from one station toanother by the Geneva drive. The rising plunger makes contact with theunder side of the cylinder 47 rotating it slightly on its pivot 48against the action of the spring 73. Such pivoting of the cylinderdisengages the roller 51 from the drive wheel 12 and stops rotation ofthe shaft 50. Stops 74 located on the extension flange 35 between thevalve caps 39 and the plunger rods 71 are adjustable to hold the underside of the work piece 65 on a level plane independent of the plungerrod 71 when the roller 72 is out of contact with the cam 29 and thebanding operation is being carried out.

The period of rotation of the work piece 65 on its chuck as the workpiece head A is rotated from one station to another by'the Geneva driveD is governed by the arcuate length ofthe cam 29 and its setting on thecover plate 24. Similarly, the arcuate length of the cam 30 and itssetting on the cover plate 24 governs the period in which vacuum is cutoff from the cylinder 47. As will be seen from Figs 2 and 3 of thedrawings, rotation of the work-piece heads A is efi'ected at each of thestations (a) at which banding operations can be carried out whereasvacuum will hold the work-piece on its chuck at all of these stations(a) plus the stations (b). The arcuate length of the earns 29 and 30 andtheir annular relationship to each other can be modified for any varietyof production requirements.

'The ceramic paint applicator is controlled to givevertical movement ofthe applicator to bring it into contact with the work piece 65 and togive horizontal movement of the applicator to control the width of theceramic paint band on the workpiece.

Describing first the drive giving vertical movement to the applicator.From the incoming drive shaft 3 sprocket 75 transmits drive through achain 76 to the sprocket 77 mounted on the shaft 78. The shaft 78 isjournalled in the bracket79 which in turn is mounted on one of themachined mounting faces 80 on the side of the box casting 1. A bevelgear pinion 81 is keyed to the inner end of the shaft 78 and engageswith the bevel gear 82. This bevel gear 82 is keyed to the sleeve shaft84 journalled about the sleeve shaft 20 and is concentric with the shaft11.

The box casting 1 is provided with eight machined mounting faces 80 setout at 45 intervals about the periphery of the casting. An applicatorwork head can be mounted on each of the remaining seven faces 80 or ahead can be mounted on only some of these seven faces depending upon thetype of work to be banded and the production volume desired of themachine.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings, the input drive to the bevel gear 82 is showntogether with three output drives for connection to applicator workhead-s. Each of these outputdrives consist of a bevel pinion 85 keyed tothe shaft 86 and in toothed engagement with the bevel gear 82. The shaft86 is journalled in the top end of the bracket 87 which in turn ismounted on one of the machined faces 80. The bracket 87 also carries theshaft 88 journalled in its lower portion, the two shafts 86 and 88 beingdrivably connected together by the gear pinion 89 keyed to the outer endof the shaft 86 and the gear wheel 90 keyed to the shaft 88. The shaft88 is held against lateral movement in the bracket 87 by the collar 91attached to the inner end of the shaft.

Splined to the shaft 88 is the extensionshaft 92 which is journalled inthe bracket 93. This bracket 93 has the side flanges 94 adapted toslidably engage with the guide plates 95 mounted on the stationarybracket 96. The

brackets 96 are mounted on the sides of. the base 2 directly under andcentered with the output drives from the bevel gear 82. The bracket 93is reciprocated on the bracket 96 by means of the cam 97 which is keyedto the shaft 88 and rotates therewith. The cam face 98 of the cam 97makes contact with the roller 99 mounted on the pin 100 secured to theunderside of the bracket 93. The travel imparted to the bracket 93 iscontrolled by the rise of the cam face 98 indicated at 101 in Fig. 10.The outward travel of the bracket 93 is against theeifort of springs 102which hold the bracket, through. the roller 99 against the cam face 98during all stages of reciprocating motion. The springs 102 are anchoredto the bracket 93 by the pins 103 and to the bracket 96 by the pins 104.

Vertical movement of the applicator is obtained by means of the cams 105and 10.6 which are adjustable with relation to each other to vary thetime of lift of the applicator. The cam 105 is rigidly secured to theextension shaft 92 while the cam 106 is rotatably mounted on the shaft92 radially with respect to the cam 105 and is secured thereto in anyadjusted position by means of the pin 107 passing through the radialslot 108 in the cam 106 and threaded into the cam 105. Both cams 105 and106 have cam lift surfaces 109 of the same radius, however the radiallength of the surface 109 varies with the setting of'the cams withrespect to each other.

The applicator table 110 has a vertical member 111 sliding on the outerface 12 of the bracket 93 and held thereagainst by the keeper plates 113which in turn are secured to the bracket 93 by the bolts 114.

A roller, 115 is mounted on the pin 116 and is secured to the lower endof the vertical member 111 by means of the clamp plate 117. The roller115 is held by gravity on the cam face of the cams 105 and 106,therefore, as the cams 105 and 106 are rotated by the shaft 92, theapplicator table 110 is raised and lowered. The applicator table 110 isof channel section, the sides 118 of which support the applicator wheelassembly.

The applicator wheel 119 is journalled by the pin 121 in the forked endof the arm which is pivoted in the bracket 122 by the pivot pin 123.The. bracket 122 is forked at its lower to fit on the side member 118 ofthe applicator table 110 and is held in place thereon by the clamp screw124. A stud 125 is pivotally mounted at 126 on the bracket 122 andpasses through the boss 127 on the outer extension of the arm 120. Aspring 128 is held in compression about the stud 125 between the boss127 and the adjustable stop nut 129. A stop nut 130 on the stud 125behind the boss 127 limits the upward movement of the applicator wheel119 while downward movement of the wheel 119 is restrained by the spring128. Adjustment of the tension on the spring 128 by the stop nut 129controls the pressure of the applicator wheel 119 against the surface ofthe work piece 65 when the applicator table 110 is raised by rotation ofthe cams 105 and 106.

The ceramic paint 131 is contained in the pan 132 supported on theapplicator table 110 by the bracket 133 and held secure thereon by thebolts 134. In Fig. 11 two applicator assemblies are shown mounted on thetable 110. Any number of these applicator assemblies can be mounted sideby side on the table 110, depending on the length of the work piece 65and the number of diiferent colours to be applied to the work piece. Thepans 132 can all contain the same colour of paint or each containdifferent colours. During normal working of the machine the applicatorwheel 119 can be released from contact with the Work piece 65 bydepressing the lever 135 projecting from the bracket 120 adjacent thewheel 119.

In Figs. 1 and 16 a straight sided work piece or tumbler 65 is shownmounted on the chuck. With such a straight sided work piece it'isdesirable that the under side of the work piece be adjusted to ahorizontal level. This en- .77 sures ease "of travel of the applicatordisc 119 along the surfaceof the rotating work piece to apply the bandof paint 136. 1 The width of the band of paint is controlled by thatpart of the horizontal stroke of the applicator in the direction of thearrows 137 as controlled by the cam 97, during the time in'which theapplicator is'atthe highest point of its elevation in the direction ofthe arrows 138 as controlled by the cams 105 and'106.

The width of band 136 as shown in Fig. 16 could represent the maximumwidth applied at any one applicator station on the machine while thebands 139 shown in Figs. 17 and 18 could represent the narrowest bands,these being varied in width by the use of discs119 having differentwidth of edges. The band 140 shown in Fig. 18 is of double the width ofthe band 136 and is obtained by first banding with a band as 136 at oneapplicator station and banding'with another band 136 at the followingstation on the machine. The applicators at each station being set on thetables 110 so that the second applicator will commence to apply its bandagainst the edge of the first band without forming a ridge of paint orleaving a gap between the bands. This is accomplished by the finesetting of the applicators possible and by the disc 119 selected for thejob.

In the operation of this invention, the machine is set up to suit aproduction run of one form of work piece 65. If the work pieces 65 aretumblers as shown in the drawings, chuck discs 61 and 63 of suitablediameter to frictionally engage with the interior surface of the tumblerare fitted to the chuck and are moved inwardly on the shaft 55 by thework piece to expose the transverse opening 58 before the rim of thetumbler engages with the seal ring 66. If necessary, the seal ring 66can be changed to suit therim diameter of the tumbler 65. The necessarynumber of applicator work heads are assembled on the brackets 96together with suitable cams 97 to give the desired horizontal travel ofthese work heads. Paint pans 132 and applicator disc assemblies are nowmounted on each of the applicator tables 110 and spaced to give the.desired pattern of banding on the work piece or tumbler 65. The stops 74are now adjusted to tilt the cylinders 47 and with it the shafts 50 to aposition which will bring the under side of the tumbler 65 to ahorizontal position parallel with the horizontal travel of theapplicator tables 110, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings. Furtheradjustment between the applicator and the tumbler 65 is possible byreplacing the friction drive disc 51 by one having a smaller or largerdiameter. Such additional adjustment may be necessary, in combinationwith the stop 74 when the tumbler 65 has a steep taper to its side or tosuit a work piece whose side is contoured as in a vase. The cams 105 and106 are now adjusted relative to each other to givethe desired contacttime between the applicator discs 119 andthe work pieces 65. Thiscontact time, combined with the horizontal travel of the applicator workhead produced by the cam 97 fixes the width of paint band applied to thesurface of the work piece.

The cams 29 and 30 are now adjusted relative to the applicator workheads. The cam 29 is set to a position .which will :allow the frictiondisc 51 to contact the drive plate 12 just before, during and after thework heads A are rotated into position over the various appliv catorwork heads that have been set up on the machine.

With such a setting the shafts will be rotated and With them the workpieces and, when the applicator discs 119 are raised into contact withthe work pieces by the action of the cams and 106, the applicator discs119 will be rotated through friction contact with the work piece andwillpick up paint from the pan 132 and deposit the paint; on thesurface-of the work piece 65.

.The setting of the cam 30 in relation to the applicator work headsissuch .thatthe valve 37 remains open for a relatively ,long period'gf'the'revolution of the machine allowing vacuum to beappliedto"each ofthe work piece heads A to hold the work pieces 65 in their chuck beforemaking contact with the first applicator disc 119 and to remain on thechuck as long as possible after passing over the last applicator disc119. This allows the operator ample time to fit the work piece 65 on itschuck and remove it from the chuck without interference with the bandingoperation. Any additional time element allowed after the work passesover the last'of the applicator discs 119 is usually sufficient to allowthe paint-to dry on the work pieces to allow handling necessary forremoval of the work pieces from its chuck when the vacu um has been shut011? at the valve 37. t In operation, the machine is constantly runningand it is only necessary to feed work pieces on to the chucks as fast asthe work heads A are rotated into place by the operation of the Genevadrive D.

In the actual application of thepaint 131 to the work pieces 65, thewidth of the edge of the applicator disc 119, the speed of rotation ofthe work piece 65 while in contact with the applicator disc 119 and thetiming of the reciprocation of the applicator work head, all combiiie tocontrol the width of the applied band of paint, the depth of paint filmand the smoothness of finish; The latter, is of great importance whenhis realized that in fact the paint is applied to the work piece in theform of a spiral, but when the timing between rotation of the work pieceand reciprocation of the applicator work head are properly adjusted, noevidence of spiral application is noticeable on the paint film. It isalso of int portance that the timing be such that rotation of the workpiece is not so high that paint throw-off takes place. This is in partalso controlled by the consistency of the paint 131 in the pan 132. ITwo or more colour bands can be applied to the work piece at the sametime at one applicator head, the bands being placed as close together asthe centres of the ap plicator assemblies will allow in conjunction withhorizontal travel of the applicators. The machine can also be set up toapply extra wide bands of the same colour on the work piece. This isaccomplished by staggering the positions of the applicator assembly onone applicator work head relative to the position of the applicator assembly on the next adjacent head. With this arrangement the blending ofone banding applied at one head with that applied at an adjacent head,is such that no joining mark is visible. It also follows that extra widebands of the same or different colours can be applied spaced apart fromeach other, this being controlled by the number of applicator work headsthat are fitted to the machine.

From the above description of the banding machine and the method ofoperating it, it will be seen that an infinite variety in the number ofbands and width of bands can be applied to a work piece, varying fromthat applied by a single revolution contact of the workpiece with theapplicator disc, to that applied by maximum revolution contact of thework piece with the applicator disc supplemented by succeeding stagecontact, by having the machine properly set up before commencingoperations; In addition, a wide variety of colour banding can be accomplished in the same manner, as for every width of band that can beapplied to the work, that band can vary in colour without disturbing themachine setting, for it is a simple matter to change one colour pan 132for a pan having a different colour. Also, by staggering the applicatordiscs in one applicator work head relative to the others, variouscolours can be applied practically touching each other.

What I claim is: 1. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationaryframe, a rotating member journalled in said stationary frame, a seriesof work-heads mountedon said rotating member, vacuum means connected tosaid Work-heads adapted to hold a work piece on said work-heads duringthe banding operation; drive means including a Geneva type driverotating said rotating member intermittently in stages corresponding innumber with said work-heads, a drive including a friction disc engagingwith and rotating said work-heads, cam means holding said work-heads outof engagement with said friction disc during a partial rotation of saidrotating member, paint applicators mounted for both vertical andhorizontal movement on said stationary frame and drive meansreciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and out ofengagement with the work piece mounted on said work-heads and to reciprocate said paint applicators horizontally with respect to saidworkpiece to apply bands of paint thereon when the work-heads are heldstationary during their intermittent rotation.

2. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, a series of work-headsmounted on said rotating member, vacuum means connected to saidwork-heads holding a work piece .on said work-heads during the bandingoperation, drive means including a Geneva type drive rotating saidrotating member intermittently in stages corresponding in number withsaid work-heads, a drive including a friction disc engaging with androtating said work-heads, cam means secured to said stationary frame, aseries of plunger rods mounted on said rotating member and in contactwith said cam means, said plunger rods holding said work-heads out ofengagement with said friction disc during a partial rotation of saidrotating member, paint applicators mounted for both vertical andhorizontal movement on said stationary frame and drive meansreciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and out ofengagement with the work piece mounted on said work-heads and toreciprocate said paint applicators horizontally with respect to saidwork piece, to apply bands of paint thereon when the work-heads are heldstationary during their intermittent rotation.

3. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, said rotating member forminga sealed vacuum chamber, a series of work-heads mounted on said rotatingmember, each work-head adapted to support a work piece to be. handed, avacuum connection between said'vacuum chamber and each work-head, avalve in each of said vacuum connections, cam means on said stationaryframe engaging with and closing said valves and thereby cutting off thevacuum to said work-heads during a partial rotation of said rotatingmember, drive means including a Geneva type drive rotating said rotatingmember intermittently in stages corresponding in number with saidwork-heads, a drive including a friction disc engaging with and rotatingsaid work-heads, cam means secured to said stationary frame a series ofplunger rods mounted on said rotating memberand in contactwith'said cammeans, said plunger rods holding said work-heads out of engagement withsaid friction disc during a partial rotation of said rotatingmember,paint applicators mounted for both vertical and horizontal movement onsaid stationary frame, .and drive means reciprocating said paintapplicators vertically into and out of engagement with the work piecesmounted on said work-heads and to reciprocate said paint applicatorshorizontally with respect to said work pieces when the work pieces arebeing rotated to apply bands of paint thereon.

4. In a ceramic paint banding'rnachine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, said rotating member forminga sealed vacuum chamber, a series of work-heads mounted on said rotatingmember, each work-head adapted to support a work-piece to be banded, avacuum connection between said vacuum chamber and each work-head, avalve in each of said vacuum connections, cam means on said stationaryframe engaging with and closing said valves and thereby cutting off thevacuum to the work-heads dur g a p r rm a ion said rot ng m r, riv

means including a Geneva type drive rotating said 101- tating memberintermittently in stages corespondingin number with said work-heads, adrive including a friction disc engaging with and rotating saidwork-heads, cam means secured to said stationary frame a series ofplunger rods mounted on said rotating member and in contact with saidcam means, said plunger rods holding said work-heads out of engagementwith said friction disc during a partial rotation of said rotatingmember, paint applicators mounted for bothvertical and horizontalmovement on said stationary frame, drive means reciprocating said paintapplicators vertically into and out of engagement with the work piecesmounted on said workheads and to reciprocate said paint applicatorshorizontally with respect to said work pieces when the work pieces arebeing rotated, and cam means operatively connected with said latterdrive means controlling the period of engagement of said paintapplicators with the work piece.

5.. In a ceramic paint banding machine, .a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled on said stationary frame, said rotating member forminga sealed vacuum chamber, a series of work-heads mounted on said rotatingmem ber, each work-head adapted to support a work piece to be handed, avacuum connection between said vacuum chamber and each work-head, avalve in each of said vacuum connections, cam means on said stationaryframe engaging with and closing said valves and thereby cutting off thevacuum to the Work-heads during a partial rotation of said rotatingmember, drive means including a Geneva type drive rotating said rotatingmember intermittently in stages corresponding in number with saidwork-heads, a drive including a friction disc engaging with and rotatingsaid work-heads, cam means secured to said stationary frame a series ofplunger rods mounted on said rotating member and in contact with saidcam means, said plunger rods holding said work-heads out of engagementwith said friction disc during a partial rotation of said rotatingmember, paint applicatorsmounted for both vertical and horizontalmovement on said stationary frame, drive meansincluding a camreciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and out ofengagement with the work pieces mounted in said work-heads, a camoperatively connected with said latter drive reciprocating said paintapplicators horizontally with respect to said work pieces, said lattertwo cams being co-ordinated to control the period of time the paintapplicators are in contact with the rotating I work pieces and the widthof paint band applied thereto,

6. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, said rotating member forminga sealed vacuum chamber, a series of pivoted work-heads mounted on saidrotating member, each work-head adapted to support a work piece to bebanded, a vacuum connection between said vacuum chamber and eachwork-head, a valve in each of said vacuum connections, cam means on saidstationary frame engaging with and closing said valves and thereby cuted the vacuum to the work-heads during a partial rotation of said rotarymember, drive means including a Geneva type drive rotating said rotatingmember intermittently in stages corresponding in number with saidwork-heads, a drive including a friction disc engaging with and rotatingsaid work-heads, cam means secured to said stationary frame a series ofplunger rods mounted on said'rotating member and in contact with said,cam means, said plunger rods pivoting said work-heads and holding themout of engagement with said friction disc during partial rotation ofsaid rotating member, paint applicators mounted for both vertical andhorizontal movement on said stationary frame, drive means including acam reciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and out ofengagement with the work pieces mounted on said work-heads, a camoperatively connected with said latter drive reciprocating said paintapplicators hor- 7 l1 izontally with respect to said work pieces,said'latter two cams being co-ordinated to control the period of timethe paint applicators are in contact with the rotating work pieces andthe width of band applied thereto.

7. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a cover plateon said stationary frame, a rotating member journalled in saidstationary frame, said rotating member resting on said cover plate andsealed there- 'with to form a vacuum chamber, a series 'of pivotedwork-heads mounted in spaced relationship on said rotating member anddisposed radially with respect to the axis of the rotating member, eachwork head adopted to support a work-piece to -be banded a shaftrotatably mounted in each of said work-heads, each of said shafts havinga'friction drive wheel at its inner end and a vacuum chuck on its outerend, a vacuum connection between said vacuum chamber and each work-head,a valve in each of said vacuum connections, an arcuate cam on said coverplate, said arcuate cam closing said valves to cut off the vacuum tosaid vacuum chuck duringpartial rotation of said rotary member, drivemeans including a Geneva type drive rotating said rotating memberintermittently in stages corresponding in number with said work-heads, adrive including a friction disc engaging with said work-head shaftsthrough said friction drive wheels, arcuate cam means secured to saidstationary frame aseries of plunger rods mounted on said rotatingmember. and in contact with said cam means, saidplunger rods pivotingsaid work-heads to disengage their shafts from said friction disc duringpartial rota tion of said rotating member, paint applicators mounted forboth vertical and horizontal movement on said stationary frame, drivemeans including a cam reciprocating said paintapplicators verticallyinto and out of engagement withthe work pieces mounted on said vacuumfcliiicks a cam operatively connected with said latter drivereciprocating said paint applicators horizontally with respect to saidwork pieces, said latter two cams being coordinated to control theperiod of time the paint applicators are in contact with the rotatingworkpieces and the width of band applied thereto.

8. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a cover plateon said stationary frame, a rotating 'member journalled in saidstationary frame, said rotating member resting on said cover plate andsealed therewith to form a vacuum chamber, a series of pivoted workheadsmountediin spaced relationship on said rotating member and disposedradially with respect to the axis of the jrotating'member, each workhead adapted to supportia'workpiece to be handed a shaft rotatablymounted in each, of said work-heads, each of said shafts having afriction drive wheel at its inner end and a vacuum chuck omits outerend, said vacuum chuck including a valve spring held in itsclosedposition, and movable into its open position when a work-piece isfitted on the work head, a vacuum-connection between said vacuum chamberand each work-head and through said shaft to said vacuum chuck, a valvein eachof said vacuum connections at theoutlet from said vacuum chamber,an arcue ate cam on said cover plate, said arcuate cam closing saidlatter valves to cut ofl the vacuum to said vacuum chuck during partialrotation of said rotary member, drive means including a Geneva typedrive rotating said rotating member intermittently, in stagescorresponding in number with said work-heads, a drive including a.friction disc engaging with said work-head shafts through engagementwith said friction driveiwheels, arcuate cam meansisec ured to saidstationary frame a series of plunger rods mounted on said rotatingmember and in contact with said cam means, said plunger rodspivotingsaid workheads to disengage their shafts from said friction disc during:partial rotation of said rotating member, paint 'applicatorslimounted,for both vertical and horizontal a 12 a movement on said stationaryframe, drive means including a cam reciprocating said paint applicatorsvertically into and out of engagement with the work pieces mounted onsaid vacuum chucks, a cam operably connected with said latter drivereciprocating said paint applicators horizontally with respect to saidworkpieces, said latter two cams being co-ordinated tocontrol the periodoftime the paint applicators are in contact with the rotating workpieces and the width ofthe band applied thereto.

,9. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, a series of work-headsmounted on said rotating member each of said work-heads comprising acylinder, the axis of which is disposed radially with respect to theaxis of rotation of said rotating member, a shaft ro tatably journalledin said cylinder and extending therebeyond at either end, said shaftshaving a friction drive wheel at their inner end and .a flange at theirouter end, a vacuum passage in said shaft open at one end to theinterior of said cylinder and to the outer surface of the 'shaftadjacentits end flange, a vacuum chuck on the end of said shaft, said chuckforming a valve normally sealing the outer end of said vacuum passageand on the application of a work piece to the chuck moving said valve to unseal said vacuum passage to secure the work piece to 'the chuck byvacuum, vacuum means connected with said cylinder and with said chuckthrough said vacuum passage, drive means rotating said rotating memberintermittently in stages corresponding in number with said work-heads, adrive including a friction disc engaging with and rotating the frictiondrive wheels of said work head shafts, paint applicators mounted forboth vertical and horizontal movement on said stationary frame, anddrive means reciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and outof engagement with the work pieces on said chucks and reciprocating saidpaint applicators horizontally'with respect to said work pieces to applybands of'paint thereto when the work-heads are held stationary duringtheir intermittent rotation. 1 0. In a ceramic paint banding machine, astationary frame, a rotating member journalled in said stationary frame,a series of work-heads mounted on said rotating member, each of saidwork-heads comprising a cylinder, the axis of which is disposed radiallywith respect to the axis: of rotation of said rotating member, a shaftrotatably journalled in each of said cylinders and extending beyond thecylinders at either end, said shafts having a friction drive disc attheir inner end anda'fiange at their 'outer' end, an axial bore to saidshaft open at one end to theinterior of said cylinder and to the outersurface of the shaft adjacent their end flange forming a vacuum passage,a vacuum chuck on the outer end of said shaft, saidchuck comprising awork-piece sealing washer spaced inwardly of said shaft end flange, apair of friction discs 'slidably' mounted on said shaft,. a springbetween the inner of said friction discs and said sealing washer, aspring between said pair of friction discs, said springs normallyholding the outer of said friction discs in sealing position over theouter end of the axial bore of said shaft, vacuum means connected withsaid cylinders and through the axial bore of the shafts with-said vacuumchuck, said vacuum means holding a workpiece against said sealing facewhen the friction discs of the chuck are displaced by .the work piece toexpose the vacuum passage in the shaft to the interior of the workpiece, drive means rotating said rotating member intermittently instages correspondiugin number with said work-heads, a drive including afriction disc engaging with and rotating the friction drive wheels ofsaid work head shafts, paint applicators mounted for both vertical; andhorizontal movement on saidstationary' frame and drive meansreciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and out ofengagement with the work pieceon said chucks and to reciprocate saidpaint applicators horizontally with respect to said work pieces to applybands of paint thereon when the work heads are held stationary duringtheir intermittent rotation.

11. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, a series of work-headsmounted on said rotating member, each work-head adapted to support aworkpiece to be banded, a vacuum connection to each of said work-heads,a valve in each of said vacuum connections, cam means on said stationaryframe engaging with and closing said valves and thereby cutting off thevacuum supply to said work-heads during a partial rotation of saidrotating member, drive means including a Geneva type drive rotating saidrotating member intermittently in stages corresponding in number withsaid work-heads, a drive including a friction disc engaging with androtating said work-heads, cam means holding said work-heads out ofengagement with said friction drive during partial rotation of saidrotating member, paint applicators mounted for both vertical andhorizontal movement on said stationary frame, drive means including acam reciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and out ofengagement with the work pieces mounted on said workheads, a camoperatively connected with said latter drive means reciprocating saidpaint applicators horizontally with respect to said work pieces, saidlatter two cams being co-ordinated to control the period of time thepaint applicators are in contact with the work pieces and the Width ofthe band applied thereto.

12. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, a series of work-headsmounted on said rotating member, a rotatable vacuum chuck associatedwith each of said work-heads adapted to hold a work piece when vacuum isapplied to the chuck, a vacuum connection to each of said chucks throughsaid work-heads, a valve in each of said vacuum connections, cam meanson said stationary frame engaging with and closing said valves andthereby cutting off the vacuum supply to said workheads during a partialrotation of said rotating member,

drive means including a Geneva type drive rotating said rotating memberintermittently in stages corresponding in number with said work-heads, adrive including a friction disc engaging with and rotating saidwork-heads, cam means holding said work-heads out of engagement withsaid friction drive during partial rotation of said rotating member,paint applicators including a paint reservoir mounted for both verticaland horizontal movement on said stationary frame, a disc in saidreservoir, said disc being rotated in the paint reservoir when broughtinto contact with the rotating work piece on the vacuum chuck, a rotarydrive shaft, including a cam rotated by said drive shaft reciprocatingsaid paint applicators vertically into and out of engagement with thework pieces mounted on said vacuum chucks, a cam rotated by said driveshaft reciprocating said paint applicators horizontally with respect tosaid work pieces, said latter two cams being co-ordinated to control theperiod of time the paint applicators are in contact with the work piecesand the width of band applied thereto.

13. In a ceramic paint banding machine as set forth in claim 12, whereinthe disc of the paint applicators are spring mounted to apply a degreeof pressure of the disc against the work piece.

14. In a ceramic paint banding machine as set forth in claim 13, whereinthe spring mounting of the disc is adjustable to vary the contactpressure of the disc on the work piece.

15. In a ceramic paint banding machine as set forth in claim 14 whereinthe cams controlling the vertical recipro- .cation' of the paintapplicators are adjustable to vary the period of time in which theapplicator discs are in contact with the work pieces.

16. Ina 'ceramic'paint banding machine as set forth in claim 15',wherein the cams controlling the vertical reciprocation of the paintapplicators are in two parts radially adjustable with each other to varythe length of the cam surface holding the applicator disc in contactwith the work piece.

17. In a ceramic paint banding machine as set forth in claim 12, whereinthe cam controlling the horizontal reciprocation of the paint applicatorcontacts a roller mounted on a horizontally slidable bracket the saidbracket being spring held to hold the roller against the said cam.

18. In a ceramic paint banding machine as set forth in claim 17, whereinthe paint reservoir is mounted on a platform vertically slidable on thehorizontally slidable bracket.

19. In a ceramic paint banding machine as set forth in claim 18, whereinthe drive means for the cams controlling the operation of the paintapplicators includes a shaft journalled in the stationary frame of themachine and a shaft journalled in the horizontally sliding bracket, thesaid shafts being splined together.

20. In a ceramic paint banding machine, a stationary frame, a rotatingmember journalled in said stationary frame, said rotating member forminga sealed vacuum chamber, a series of pivoted work-heads mounted on saidrotating members, a rotatable vacuum chuck associated with each of saidwork-heads adapted to hold a work-piece when vacuum is applied to thechuck, a vacuum connection from said vacuum chamber to each of saidvacuum chucks through said work-heads, valves in said vacuum chambercontrolling the said vacuum connections, said valve camprising acylinder having an inlet port and an atmospheric port, ported sleevevalves each within said cylinder, a spring normally holding said sleevein position to allow vacuum to pass through said ported sleeve from thevacuum chamber through the connection to the vacuum chuck, cam means onsaid stationary frame engaging with and displacing said ported sleeve tocut off the vacuum to said vacuum chuck and to allow atmosphericpressure to fill said vacuum connection to the chuck during partialrotation of said rotating member, drive means rotating said rotatingmember intermittently in stages corresponding in number with saidwork-heads, a drive including a friction disc engaging with saidworkheads to rotate said chucks, cam means holding said workheads out ofengagement with said friction drive during partial rotation of saidrotating member, paint applicators mounted for both vertical andhorizontal movement on said stationary frame, drive means including acam reciprocating said paint applicators vertically into and out ofengagement with the work pieces mounted on said chucks, and a camoperatively connected with said latter drive reciprocating said paintapplicators horizontally with respect to said work pieces, said lattertwo cams being coordinated to control the period of time the paintapplicators are in contact with the rotating work pieces and the widthof band applied thereto.

21. In a ceramic paint banding machine, as set forth in claim 20,wherein springs normally hold the work-heads in engagement with thefriction drive for rotation of the vacuum chuck.

22. In a ceramic paint banding machine as set forth in claim 21, whereinan adjustable stop between the rotating member and the work-headsadjusts the pivotal position of the work-heads to bring the under sideof the workpiece parallel with the horizontal travel of the paintapplicator.

References Cited in the file of this fiet entg UNITED STATES PATENTSJohnson et a1. L Jan. 5, I931 Schutz Nov. 1, 1938 Johnson June 4, 1940Schweitzer June 26, 19.5]

